Rabbi Cosgrove: Holy Desperation (Yom Kippur, 2026)

Israel’s election has produced a political deadlock, with neither side able to form a governing coalition. Could cooperation with Arab parties offer a way forward? Drawing on the biblical story of Isaac and Ishmael, Rabbi Cosgrove considers political compromise, the boundaries of belonging, and the future of Israeli democracy.

Are we destined to remain the same, or can we become someone new? Rabbi Cosgrove explores how Abraham’s journey offers a radical promise: Our past may shape us, but it need not define us. At every age and every stage, we retain the capacity to grow, change, and begin again.

Drawing on the community's response to the 1966 fire in the Jewish Theological Seminary library, Rabbi Zuckerman explores a question that runs through the early chapters of Genesis: What does it mean to take responsibility for something precious?

Three years after October 7th, the blood of the victims still cries out. What does that cry demand of us? Drawing on the biblical story of Cain and Abel and a landmark report documenting Hamas’s atrocities, Rabbi Cosgrove reflects on our responsibility to preserve truth against denial, distortion, and erasure.

For his Yizkor sermon, Rabbi Pink explains the hidden meaning behind the matzevah, the stone erected to honor a deceased loved one.

As we go from Yom Kippur to Sukkot, Rabbi Zuckerman explains that we must use the inward reflection of Yom Kippur to move outward differently, because if we do not know and tell our own story, others will tell our story for us. 

On the second day of Sukkot, Rabbinic Intern Claire Davidson Bruder explores Rabbinic texts about the holiday and its rituals, uncovering Sukkot's call for Jewish unity even in times of strife.

As Yom Kippur draws to a close, Rabbi Cosgrove reminds us that life is fleeting and none of us knows how long we will have. He urges us to live today so that were it to be our last day, we would have no regrets.

Rabbi Koffman discusses the very Jewish messages of this Broadway show, and how its teachings are especially appropriate for Yom Kippur.

Recalling moments from the Torah and Jewish history, Rabbi Zuckerman highlights the need for a broader Jewish historical imagination, one that remembers our moments of vulnerability without forgetting our moments of courage - because while trauma has a way of traveling through generations even when no one speaks about it, courage depends on someone telling the story.